The original 'DotA 2'. It has a large battlefield with distinct towns to capture: each contributing different lane troops and selling its own items.
Light-hearted game that experimented with lots of gimmicky mechanics and unusual heroes. The battlefield has bridges which can be raised and lowered using levers to block and open paths.
Heroes can engage in optional side quests, or pick up one of several sub-categories of items which have unusual rules. There are also modest army-customisation options, as well as a selection of powerful tower upgrades.
All of its characters are based on real-world gods and myths from pantheons from around the world. It was among the first games played from a third-person perspective, offering a more immersive experience and affecting its vision and movement mechanics. The game uses almost entirely skill-shots, and offers a variety of competitive lane-pushing modes.
All heroes are designed to use and interact with 'conditions', a fixed set of debuffs that can be manipulated in complex ways.
Highly competitive map which popularised having a large quantity of heroes and items.
Due to its two boss objectives and carefully tuned economy, it has a stable meta with fixed lane positions for each hero role.
Has a large number of deeply interwoven mechanics, leading to a complex and deep competitive experience. Players have shown a high level of engagement with its massive esports scene: with the annual 'The International' tournament consistently offering the biggest prize-pools in esports history.
An immersive and hectic battle of attrition, with a rich variety of playable heroes and heavy emphasis on world-building and lore.
An ambitious and heavily-featured game of grand strategy. Teams first select one of four factions (Elves, Orcs, Creeps, Undead) which each have their own armies and hero pools. They then battle on one of five maps of wildly varying sizes, each with different objectives.
Players can destroy and rebuild outposts, construct towers and fortify their bases, reinforce specific lanes with extra troops, or re-route lanes to different locations. The heroes each have six abilities which can be empowered with a range of talents, while upgradable items can shore up weaknesses or bolster their strengths.
EotA: Twilight shares a universe with two other games: a co-op survival called EotA: Exodus and a team escape called EotA: Maze.
Had unusual criss-cross lanes, and emphasised the jungle as a critical team objective.